Jason and the golden arm: Gesser's work ethic pays off

Jason Gesser's mother got the first inkling that her son was a special athlete when he was 4 years old and she signed him up for a soccer team.

At an age when most kids are more interested in the postgame snack, Jason immediately took the sport seriously.

"He was so intense and he wanted to score and win," Janet Jeter recalled. "If another kid was just goofing around on the field, Jason would take over his spot. As a mother, I was there saying, 'Jason, just have fun.' "

Well, Jason is having fun these days and he is winning as the Washington State quarterback.

And he is as highly competitive as ever. "I can't stand losing at anything," admits Gesser, who off the field remains just another easy-going guy from Hawaii.

Tomorrow, Gesser leads the surprising 4-0 Cougars against Oregon State in WSU's homecoming game.

The contest should help answer two of the hottest questions in West Coast football: 1) How good are the Cougars, who were picked in a media poll to finish last in the Pac-10? 2) Is Gesser headed toward the pantheon of WSU's great quarterbacks such as Jack Thompson, Mark Rypien and Drew Bledsoe?

So far this season, Gesser has completed 69 of 125 passes for 1,213 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has been intercepted only twice, once when a receiver fell against California. He is No. 8 in the nation in passing efficiency and No. 7 in total offense.

Gesser, a threat to run or throw, said he is "more comfortable and confident" on the field this year because he understands defenses better. One barometer of the new comfort zone is that Gesser is giving the Hawaiian "hang loose" sign to offensive coordinator Mike Levenseller more than the coach is giving it to him. "Last year, I gave it to him regularly," Levenseller said. "This year, he's done it more to me."

Gesser was signed by the Cougars in 1998 when the state of Washington had a bumper crop of seven high-school quarterbacks signed by Division I schools. The only one playing for a D-I school now is Jason Johnson of Arizona.

"Gesser was the one I wanted all along," said Coach Mike Price, who likes to needle his Hawaiian transplant about the weather during snowy November practices.

California and Washington State were the only Pac-10 schools that went after Gesser. His mother said Gesser's visit to Cal, where he saw bars on Berkeley windows, influenced his decision.

"He couldn't comprehend why the bars were necessary," Jeter said. "He liked Pullman, where people just seem to leave their doors unlocked. It was the comfort zone of a small town for someone coming from an island."

After his recruiting trip to Pullman, Gesser got off the plane in Honolulu, tossed a WSU hat to his father, Jim, and announced, "This is where I'm going."

Gesser might have gone undiscovered as a quarterback if he hadn't suffered a broken arm in seventh grade.

His father had been an all-state wide receiver at Kaiser High School in Honolulu and had been teaching his son the position. But Jason suffered a broken arm when he was tackled on concrete during a pickup game with friends. He had to wear a cast and the only position he could play in flag-football games was quarterback. A coach spotted him and liked what he saw.

Jason recalled, "He said, 'Hey, why don't you come out when your cast is off and play quarterback for our intermediate (eighth grade) team next year. I'll help you out in the summer.' ''

Jason has been a quarterback ever since.

Gesser's father still lives in Hawaii and his mother, who has remarried, lives in Kirkland. But both end up in Pullman on many game days, Jim by air and Janet and her husband, Jon, by car. After games, everyone heads to Jason's house for a barbecue.

Gesser, a 22-year-old communications major, quickly had an impact on Cougars football. As a redshirt freshman, he led WSU to an upset victory in his first start, against Hawaii in 1999 in hometown Honolulu. The Cougars were 2-9 and underdogs against the bowl-bound, 8-3 Hawaii, but WSU won 22-14.

"It was like he willed that win," said wide receiver Farwan Zubedi.

Last year, he was 3-6 as a starting quarterback. His season ended in Game 9 against Oregon when he suffered a broken leg and severe ankle sprain. He still finished atop the Pac-10 in passing efficiency with a 132.5 rating.

"My whole thing is work ethic," said Gesser, whose paternal great-grandfather was Red Dunn, a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. "That's what got me here. I don't have the best talent in the world. I don't have the size (6 feet 1, 195 pounds) or speed. But if you work hard, you're going to get where you need to go."

Jason was 24-0 as the starter for Saint Louis High School. His state-title team was ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation his senior year.

Gesser, who was elected a co-captain as a sophomore last season, is a leader on a Cougars team that is blessed with a lot of them. During informal summer practices, he and some seniors wouldn't hesitate to stop a workout.

"When a couple guys would slack off, we'd get everybody together, and we'd have a little meeting and say, 'If we take care of business now, business will take care of itself later on.' "

Other accounts of such meetings aren't as polite. Wide receiver Mike Bush has said Gesser and senior safeties Billy Newman and Lamont Thompson delivered this no-nonsense message to everyone:

"We're going to be good. If you don't buy into it, then leave."

No one left.

Craig Smith can be reached at 206-464-8279 or csmith@seattletimes.com.